Status
Available
Collection
Description
Weaving together Jewish lore, the voices of Jewish foremothers, Yiddish fable, midrash and stories of her own imagining, Ellen Frankel has created in this book a breathtakingly vivid exploration into what the Torah means to women. Here are Miriam, Esther, Dinah, Lilith and many other women of the Torah in dialogue with Jewish daughters, mothers and grandmothers, past and present. Together these voices examine and debate every aspect of a Jewish woman's life -- work, sex, marriage, her connection to God and her place in the Jewish community and in the world. The Five Books of Miriam makes an invaluable contribution to Torah study and adds rich dimension to the ongoing conversation between Jewish women and Jewish tradition.
Publication
Putnam Adult (1996), 354 pages
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User reviews
LibraryThing member C.Vick
This was much more engaging than I expected it to be.
I was given this as a gift by someone looking for something, I suppose, to give a feminist Jew. I don't know why, but it didn't strike my fancy at first, and I put off reading it. Then, recently, I found myself without reading material and
If one is at all familiar with Talmud and its traditional structure with arguments, different voices, and give and take -- that's what this reminds me of.
Each chapter of Torah is summed up, and then questions about the chapter are asked by "Our Daughters." These may be the sorts of questions you have asked yourself. Questions are then answered by our mothers, sage advice given by our bubbes, or Rachel or Sarah may step in and give us their point of view.
All in all this is an engaging and refreshing take on the Torah. And since it is divided into parshot, perfect for Torah study!
I was given this as a gift by someone looking for something, I suppose, to give a feminist Jew. I don't know why, but it didn't strike my fancy at first, and I put off reading it. Then, recently, I found myself without reading material and
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started thumbing through it and then drawn in to it.If one is at all familiar with Talmud and its traditional structure with arguments, different voices, and give and take -- that's what this reminds me of.
Each chapter of Torah is summed up, and then questions about the chapter are asked by "Our Daughters." These may be the sorts of questions you have asked yourself. Questions are then answered by our mothers, sage advice given by our bubbes, or Rachel or Sarah may step in and give us their point of view.
All in all this is an engaging and refreshing take on the Torah. And since it is divided into parshot, perfect for Torah study!
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